PLAYTONE + THE DRAYMIN - The Doghouse 29-02-08
There were more bands but I sped back from Forfar in the hope I'd not be too late to catch The Draymin. As it turned out, I did catch them - and got a bonus into the bargain, but more about that in a mo.
In front of a decently sized crowd made up of fans and musical pasers-by, Rosyth's Draymin, playing their first ever headline set at Dundee's award-winning Doghouse, showed just why they are such a great band.
Tonight, they meant business, which meant opening with strength, and so it fell to their killer anthem "Don't Fade Away". First you get the sudden rush of instruments, the yearning vocal over the insistent drum beat and then the eruption as the band explodes into the chorus and hook, while the audience goes absolutely mental, leaping up and down as the song climbs higher and higher, the verses a soaring flight, the choruses a searing heat, as the song immediately signals that this is one helluva great band and it's gonna be one helluva great night. As the set moves on, you have to marvel at the drumming aas to how the guy is playing such tight and controlled beats and rhythms yet seems to inject so much emotion into something that you wouldn't have thought would have that much. As always, the lead vocal was sung to perfection and the band played a blinder with some wicked dual guitar work throughout. Another track rapidly becoming a high point of a set that's choc full of high points, is "I'm There", an epic track that starts off as a ballad, soars into an anthem and then finally roars into a blazing supernova of beefy rhythmic strength and wall-to-wall guitar riffage plus red hot lead guitar as the impassioned vocal returns to send the song to an even higher plane, as the pace accelerates and the whole thing takes off like a rocket, the guitars ringing out in powerful fashion as the instrumental section ends and the song then drops back slightly to its anthemic status, ending as it began. I hesitate to make the comparison, but if ever you wanted a contemporary indie equivalent to the world-beating seventies rock anthem that is "Stairway To Heaven", this is the one! Elsewhere the set just roars ahead in a hail of irresistible riffs, rhythms and supercharged guitars, the song s a memorable sea of anthem and gloriously rocking indie gems. They ended the set with the ever popular rousing crowd-pleaser that is "Rise Up" and had the whole dancefloor going wild as they set the seal on another absolute stunner of a gig.
Before them was a band from Glasgow called Playtone. I caught what must have been about two thirds of the set and they were highly engaging. A quartet, with two guitarists, lead vocalist and harmony vocalist, they played a really tight set of a less overtly beat-heavy sea of songs compared with The Draymin, but what they played was absolutely riveting. Their sound was chunky with some strong lead electric guitar work, accompanied by some seriously extra depth from the rhythm guitar and occasional use of acoustic guitar. Their songs are strong and insistent, only they tend to go for things of a more dynamic nature, the song arrangements twisting and turning, building and dropping, while losing none of the strength that makes them a seriously fine band when it comes to livge excitement. The rhythm section work was consistent, ranging from strident to more tasty, the bass work in particular underpinning the ringing, chiming guitar leads and riffs. Above all this, the lead vocals soared majestically and the extra layers of harmony vocals, used sparingly for maximum effect, proved the icing on the cake. The songs themselves grabbed your attention as a mix of almost Americana-laced indie, a sort of beefy Cosmic Rough Riders type of thing, kept you hooked, a mark of the quality of this band. They announcedd the last track as the current single, and you can see why - in a set of seriously hot songs, this bore all the hallmarks of a great anthem, the most infectious, addictive and memorable song of the set, and something that leaves you wanting to hear more, the mark of a band that really is going places and knows how to get there. I only hope I get to see them again - if you get the chance, don't miss out - a quality band, indeed.
Apologies to The Frest who were on earlier - catch you soon, guys!!